New Report Concludes VIA Rail is ‘Well-Managed,’ Recommends Improvements

The audit (download below) recommends that VIA Rail “improve its service offering by identifying and addressing the causes of service delays.” VIA Rail, the Crown corporation that operates the national passenger rail service on behalf of the Government of Canada, does not own most of the tracks and stations that it uses. Since these are outside VIA Rail’s direct control, “effective collaboration with track and station owners is necessary to understand and resolve delays.” The audit also identified opportunities for improvement in other areas, including corporate governance.

Under the Financial Administration Act, federal Crown corporations are subject to a special examination by the Auditor General of Canada at least once every 10 years. These examinations, the Office of the Auditor says, “focus on systems and practices that are key to providing the Crown corporation with reasonable assurance that its assets are safeguarded and controlled, its resources are managed economically and efficiently, and its operations are carried out effectively.”